| Tower Poetry Workshops
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 photo by TPS member Susan West |
It has been said that every poem should be revised 50 times. Often, when reading submissions, it is felt that the poet would have benefited from attending a workshop. The main activity at TPS meetings is to workshop our poems. The poet reads the poem, then the rest of us discuss it. We try to improve it with suggestions. The poet who reads now listens. It is by listening to all the opinions that a sense of what enhances the poem becomes clear. There is often disagreement. After the group has finished discussing the poem, the poet gets a chance for rebuttal but usually, what needs to be said has been said by someone in the group. (See downloadable copy of The Poetry Workshop) If you are writing in a lonely vacuum, find or form a group with other poets. It will enhance your work and theirs too. If you live close to Hamilton, come and join us! We meet one Saturday a month from 2-4 p.m. at the Westdale Public Library, 955 King St. W., Hamilton. Meeting dates for the 2009-2010 season are: Bring 20 copies of your poem to be workshopped, or just come and sit in until you feel comfortable with the process. No workshops are held in December or the summer months. *Note re annual POET STUDY: One monthly meeting each year is devoted to learning about a specific kind of poetry, or about the life and work of a single poet. Details for the February 2011 Poet Study will be posted when available. The February 2010 Poet Study featured poet Jeffery Donaldson. Donaldson, who discussed his own poetics and read from his most recent collection, Palilalia, teaches poetry, American literature and creative writing in the McMaster University English Department. The 50th Anniversary Poet Study was presented in the form of a public lecture delivered to a large audience by poet John B. Lee. In his address, the well-known Brantford poet drew extensively upon his own work in his thoughtful, and thought-provoking, reflections on the theme of ROOTS.
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